The use of wireless links for facilitating various forms of communication, such as voice, multimedia, data, etc., has become nearly ubiquitous in today's world. For example, wireless nodes in the form of base stations and corresponding cellular phones are pervasive and routinely utilized for providing all forms of mobile communication between individuals and groups. Similarly, wireless nodes in the form of access points and wireless terminals (e.g., computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), game systems, Internet appliances, etc.) are in widespread use for facilitating widespread robust data access and communications.
It is not uncommon that directional antenna beams are used in providing wireless links, whether at either or both ends of a wireless link. For example, as wireless spectrum becomes more and more crowded, the directivity of directional antenna beams may be utilized to avoid or mitigate interfering with other wireless links or being interfered with by the signals of other wireless links. Additionally, gain increases associated with directional antenna beams may be utilized to facilitate increased wireless link distances, to increase signal to noise ratio (SNR), to increase link budget, etc.
The use of such directional antenna beams significantly complicates the deployment and maintenance of wireless links. For example, where non-directional (omni-directional) antenna beams are used, wireless nodes may essentially be placed anywhere within the radius of coverage of an associated wireless node and a communication link can be established. However, when directional antenna beams are used, at least the relative direction of a corresponding wireless node must be determined, and preferably information such as the effective size and shape of the directional antenna beam(s), the topology of the link space, the channel environment, etc. may also be determined, for establishing the wireless link.
Sophisticated installers of wireless nodes implementing directional antenna beams often perform appreciable pre-deployment analysis to determine placement and orientation of wireless nodes (or the antenna systems thereof) to provide desired wireless links. For example, an installer may perform calculations, use map overlays, run site simulations, etc. to analyze the expected channel conditions and wireless link characteristics for particular locations and/or wireless node orientations. From this analysis, the installer may determine a particular wireless node deployment configuration (wireless node location and orientation) and thus deploy wireless nodes in the field to provide wireless links. However, despite this complicated pre-deployment analysis, the results experienced in the field are often not as predicted and thus the resulting wireless links may not have the desired characteristics. For example, the information available to the installer for the pre-deployment analysis is generally not perfect, the wireless nodes may not be deployed in exact correspondence to the plan, etc. Accordingly, such sophisticated installers may nevertheless have to resort to trial and error in deploying wireless nodes to facilitate wireless links.
With the proliferation of various wireless node infrastructure, such as WiFi and WiMAX access points and terminals directed to the consumer market, less and less sophisticated installers are often involved in the deployment of wireless nodes. For example, individuals experienced with deploying cameras and other equipment associated with surveillance systems have recently begun to install camera equipment utilizing wireless links in order to bridge appreciable distances more readily. However, these individuals are typically not specifically trained with respect to the deployment of wireless nodes. Accordingly, such installers neither have the resources nor the skills to do complicated pre-deployment analysis for wireless node deployment.
Some effort has been made to provide information to an installer of a wireless node useful in establishing a wireless link. For example, various forms of signal meters have been utilized to indicate a signal level associated with a current deployment configuration of a wireless node. For example, a simple receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) meter has been included with or coupled to a wireless node to display the signal strength experienced with respect to a current deployment configuration of the wireless node. As another example, an audio tone which alters in pulse periodicity or pitch in correspondence to the signal strength experienced with respect to a current deployment configuration of the wireless node has been utilized. Similarly, an indicator lamp which alters in pulse periodicity in correspondence to the signal strength experienced with respect to a current deployment configuration of the wireless node has also been utilized. In practice, the installer somewhat randomly positions and/or orients the wireless node and continually modifies its orientation (e.g., alters the azimuth angle, elevation angle, location, and/or height) until the particular signal strength indicator being used appears to indicate a highest achievable level. The wireless node is then fixed in place in this deployment configuration for providing wireless links.
Such prior systems, although being relatively inexpensive and easily understood even by unsophisticated installers, provide very little information. That is, these prior systems do not provide any guidance with respect to the proper orientation of the wireless node, but rather provide information with respect to the then current deployment configuration. For example, these prior systems provide no information with respect to the relative position of a corresponding wireless node and thus the installer must initially select a wireless node deployment configuration without the aid of information from the signal level system. Moreover, it is up to the installer to determine what action to take (e.g., end the orientation phase of the deployment or alter the orientation and, if so, what change or changes to the orientation to make) with respect to the wireless node deployment activity.